SUSTAINABILITY
UPDATE
The Facts on Recycling
International Paper offers a range of recycled products to meet our customer needs.
Whether it’s providing recycled or new fiber products, our company always keeps sustainability in mind. Most of our paper and
packaging grades can be made with 10 percent post consumer fiber (PCF) and many grades are available with up to 30 percent
PCF. Contact your customer service representative for details.
International Paper Recycling collects 12 percent of the U.S.’s total recovered paper.
International Paper’s nineteen recycling facilities provide services to thousands of businesses and large retailers throughout the
U.S. As the leader in brokering recovered paper globally, our recycling facilities collect 6 million tons of recovered paper annually
or 12 percent of all recovered paper in the U.S. We also collect an additional 2 million tons of recycled commodities other than
paper, for a total of 8 million tons of recycled commodities. International Paper mills consume almost half of the paper recovered
at our recycling facilities, and consume a total of about 6 million tons of recovered paper annually.
Recycled fiber has some limitations – contamination, supply and proper use.
Even though U.S. paper recovery rates are at an all time high, there are still challenges with recovered fiber. Contamination limits
the recycled content possible in some paper grades. The demand for recovered paper exceeds the supply. And, recovered fiber
can be more expensive to recycle into products, and in some cases can even have a net negative effect on the environment when
compared to using new fiber.
New fiber paper is made from trees, a renewable resource. The true environmental impact of paper depends on the grade, distribution, manufacturing process and many other factors. Each
product is different and so is its environmental footprint, with different energy and water requirements, solid waste outputs and
shipping distances. Paper is made from one of the world’s most renewable resources – trees. International Paper is committed to
providing the products our customers need as we work to continue to improve their environmental footprint.
Our products are recyclable. Fiber in most of the products we manufacture can be recovered and used to make new paper, coated paperboard or corrugated
boxes. Promoting the recovery of paper products reduces paper in landfills, helps keep a supply consistent and – perhaps most
important – promotes the wise use of paper and packaging products.
A sustainable paper cycle includes both new and recycled fibers. It is clear that both new and recycled fiber are essential to a sustainable fiber supply. Paper production cannot be sustained by
recovered fiber alone. Manufacturers would run out of fiber for papermaking in a matter of months if they relied only on recovered
fiber. Therefore, it is vitally important to ensure the new fiber we do use comes from sustainably managed forests. The new
fiber we use is certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) procurement, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody Standards.
Sustainability Update is a publication of International Paper.
For more information or materials, contact your International Paper account manager, sales representative or
customer service support or visit ipsustainability.com. ©2010 International Paper Company. All rights reserved.